Pressure container, especially for a fire extinguishing agent

ABSTRACT

A pressurized container consisting mainly of a protective flask, a lid, an elastic storage bag disposed within the flask, and a working bag disposed within the elastic storage bag. The elastic storage bag is filled with a predetermined amount of a desired medium to be dispensed. Then, the working bag is filled with air or another appropriate working fluid. The pressure exerted from the working bag on the elastic storage bag causes the elastic storage bag to expand until lining the interior of the protective flask. A deaerating vent is provided on the protective flask to allow air trapped between the elastic bag and the protective flask to escape. The added pressure supplied by the working bag assures that all of the contained medium will be dispensed. The protective flask also may include an opening and a puncturing tip covered by a thermal fuse. When the thermal fuse melts, the puncturing tip ruptures the elastic storage bag, thereby dispensing the medium contained inside.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a pressure container, especially for afire-extinguishing agent, comprising a protective flask made e.g. ofaluminium or plastic material and provided with a deaerating vent and inthe upper part with a neck having an upwards opened circular bed formedat its inner periphery, there being a lid with a pressure valveremovably fixed on the neck.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Known pressure containers are usually formed by a metal pressure vesselin which a utility agent, e.g. hair lacquer, perfume, liquid soap,mustard etc., is placed. To force the utility agent out of the pressurecontainer producers usually use freon, but at present also less harmfulagents such as propane-butane are used. It is also known to use air incontainers, usually provided with a special arrangement of the innerspace of the pressure vessel for not allowing the agent to contact theair.

Another known solution is a use of memory characteristics of elasticmaterial, e.g. of a rubber, to force out the utility agent.

Yet another known solution is a pressure container comprising aprotective flask in which an elastic bag is arranged, the elastic bagbeing sealed to a charge and discharge valve situated in the lid of theprotective flask. In this known solution, in order to prevent a contactbetween the utility agent and the inner surface of the elastic bag, afoil which is inert to the utility agent and which is fixed also to thevalve is used. The utility agent is forced out of the pressure containerby the contraction of the elastic bag.

There is no gaseous working medium used in the above mentioned case. Itspractical use is nevertheless problematic because a relatively largecontent remains in the elastic bag and cannot be forced out by said bag.

Another pressure container comprising also just a protective flask, e.g.of a plastic material, is provided with a closed hollow elastic storagebag sealed by the lid periphery, and with a charge valve which serves atthe same time as a discharge valve arranged over the elastic storage bagand in the lid. The discharging of the utility agent out of the spaceabove the upper part of the closed concave elastic storage bag isperformed in this case by contraction of the material of the concaveupper part of the closed hollow storage bag. Then in the last phase itis performed by expansion of the gaseous medium compressed duringfilling of the pressure container inside of the closed hollow elasticstorage bag which results in complete discharge of the utility agent.

Hand-operated fire-extinguishers, beside other fire-extinguishing means,are also known and used. These hand-operated fire-extinguishers compriseusually steel pressure container with a fire-extinguishing agent, e.g.with water, powder, foam, etc., which is either under constant pressureof gas, or which is provided with a closed, easily breakable ampule witha chemical creating over-pressure when mixed with water or otherchemical, the overpressure being able to discharge thefire-extinguishing agent out from the fire-extinguisher.

The use of pressure container with freon serving as the working mediumis on the decline, due to the well known reasons. When using otherworking media it is necessary to take various steps to prevent anycontact between the working medium and the utility agent, and this leadsto an increase of operating costs. Besides that, the propane-butane,which is used in such devices, is an inflammable gas. This propertyexcludes the possibility of using said gas e.g. in fire-extinguishers.That goes for air as well, as the contact between the air and theutility agent is usually undesirable and if used in a fire-extinguisherit would support the fire.

It is not advantageous to use chemicals to create an overpressure infire-extinguishers. A disadvantage of some of the fire-extinguishers isnamely the possibility of their explosion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The mentioned disadvantages are removed or at least moderated by apressure container, especially for fire-extinguishing agent, comprisinga protective flask made e.g. of aluminium or plastic material andprovided with a deaerating vent and in the upper part with a neck havingan upwards opened circular bed formed at its inner periphery, therebeing a lid with a pressure valve removably fixed on the neck, the gistof the solution of the problem being that between said circular bed andsaid lid a bead of an elastic storage bag is clamped, said bead beingpartly inserted into the inner area of the protective flask, while tosaid pressure valve a working bag is fastened, said working bag beingpartly inserted into the inner area of the elastic storage bag, intowhich a charge and discharge valve, built in in the lid and providedoutside thereof with a spraying discharge nozzle.

It is advantageous to provide the casing of the protective flask with atleast one outlet with a tip covered by a thermal fuse at a placeopposing the outer wall of the elastic storage bag.

It also advantageous to form the thermal fuse of a fire meltable orcombustible material.

An advantage of the present pressure container is that it does not useharmful agents for discharging of the pressure flask, it makes repeateduse possible, no explosion danger of the pressure flask threatens as itmay especially when using known fire-extinguishers. Another advantage isa complete discharge of the content of the fire-extinguisher. When usedas fire-extinguisher, the present invention makes it possible to useboth the discharge valve and the outlets with thermal fuses, whichenables e.g. throwing of the pressure container directly into the fireand in such a way to increase the fire-extinguishing effect. There maybe formed a barrier for prevention of fire spreading. The pressurecontainer may also be arranged as a precaution in places where firecould arise, e.g. in motor space of motor vehicles. The elastic storagebag of the pressure container may be filled not only with water but alsowith other fire-extinguishing agents, such as powder, foam,trichloroethylene etc.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred embodiment of the invention will be described with referenceto the accompanying drawings, in which

FIG. 1 shows an empty pressure container in a vertical axial section,

FIG. 2 shows a pressure container filled with fire-extinguishing agentin a vertical axial section,

FIG. 3 a pressure container in the state of preparedness in a verticalaxial section, and

FIG. 4 an outlet with a thermal fuse in a vertical axial section.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT

The pressure container comprises a protective flask 1 which is made ofaluminium or plastic material and which is provided, preferably at itsbottom 2, with a deaerating vent 3, and at its top part, with a neck 4.The neck 4 is provided, at its inner periphery, with a circular bed 5which is open in upward direction, and in which an elastic storage bag 7for fire-extinguishing agent is inserted with its bead 6. The neck 4 iscovered by a lid 8, which is preferably bolted to the neck 4, theperipheral part of the front surface 9 of the lid 8 adjoining the bead 6of the elastic storage bag 7. A common pressure valve 10 is built in thelid 8 and mouths in a working bag 11 which is fastened e.g. to a sleeve12 of the pressure valve 10 and which is partly inserted into the innerarea 13 of the elastic storage bag 7. The working bag 11 is intended tobe filled with a compressible, preferably incombustible gas, e.g.nitrogen or air with possible addition of fire-extinguishing agent, e.g.a powder.

Besides the pressure valve 10 another charge and discharge valve 14 forfire-extinguishing agent is arranged in the lid 8. The valve 14 mouthsin the inner area 13 of the elastic storage bag 7 and is provided withe.g. a spraying discharge nozzle 15 outside of the lid 8. In case theelastic storage bag is intended to be filled with an agent behavingaggressively to the material of the elastic storage bag 7, the elasticstorage bag 7 may be provided with a separating foil (not shown) at itsinner surface. The casing of the protective flask 1 may be provided withat least one outlet 16 with a thermal fuse 17 made as a protective coverof a tip 18 protruding against the wall of the elastic storage bag 7 andcreated e.g. by curving the material of the cover of the protectiveflask 1 in the proximity of the outlet 16. In case the cover of theprotective flask 1 is made of plastic material, the tip may be formed ofa metal and may be fixed to the cover of the protective flask 1 in theproximity of the outlet 16. The thermal fuse 17 is made of a materialmeltable or combustible by fire, e.g. of a wax or plastic material witha low fusing or burning temperature.

When assembling the pressure container the elastic storage bag 7 isinserted into the protective flask until the bead 6 of said elasticstorage bag 7 fits into the circular bed 5. Then the lid 8 with theworking bag 11 at its pressure valve 10 is set on the neck 4 and the issecured e.g. by screwing on, whereby the bead 6 of the storage bag 7 istightly clamped.

The filling of the assembled pressure container, e.g. with afire-extinguishing agent, is performed through the charge and dischargevalve 14 into the inner area 13 of the elastic storage bag 7, the coverof which extends and almost fills the inner space of the protectiveflask 1 from which the air leaks through the deaerating vent 3.Thereafter, or, alternatively, before it is set ready, the pressure gas,preferably nitrogen, is forced from a pressure medium supply throughpressure valve 10 into the working bag 11. Hereby the elastic storagebag 7 is pressed against the inner wall and against the bottom 2 of theprotective flask 1 and at the same time against the thermal fuse 17 ofthe outlet 16.

It is possible to use the described pressure container in two ways. Oneway is putting of the spraying discharge nozzle 15 on the charge anddischarge valve 14. In this case it is possible to spray thefire-extinguishing agent from the elastic storage bag 7 by turning onthe charge and discharge valve 14, whereby the fire-extinguishing agentis pressed by both the force accumulated in the material of the elasticstorage bag 7 and by the pressure, e.g. of the nitrogen, in the workingbag 11, which secures constant and complete discharge of thefire-extinguishing agent.

The other way of using of the pressure container is that it is throwninto a fire, wherein, after melting or combustion of the thermal fuse 17the bared tip 18 punctures the elastic storage bag 7 and thefire-extinguishing agent begins to stream out of it through the outlet16 into the fire and extinguishes the fire. This action may be performedalso when the pressure container is arranged in a place where a fire mayoccur and when the fire breaks out, e.g. in the motor area of a vehicle.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The pressure container may be used for various agents, such as liquidsoap, tooth paste, ketchup, mustard etc., but especially forfire-extinguishing agents, which turn the pressure container in afire-extinguisher.

I claim:
 1. A pressure container comprising:a protective flask having aneck portion defining an upwards opened circular bed about its innerperiphery; a lid removably attached to said neck portion, an elasticstorage bag within said flask, said elastic storage bag having a beaddisposed about its open end, said bead being clamped between saidcircular bed and said lid and supporting said elastic storage bag withinsaid flask, a charge and discharge value on said lid and providingcommunication with the interior of said elastic storage bag, said chargeand discharge value having a spraying discharge nozzle outside of saidlid, a pressure valve extending through said lid, a working bag fastenedto said pressure valve and extending into said elastic storage bag, saidprotective flask having a deaerating vent whereby air in said flask isforced out of said flask as said elastic storage bag is inflated withinsaid flask.
 2. A pressure container as defined in claim 1, wherein saidprotective flask includes at least one outlet therethrough and a pointedtip adjacent said outlet and extending inwardly into said flask,athermal fuse covering said pointed tip and said outlet, said thermalfuse being in contact with the exterior wall of said elastic storage bagwhen said bag is under compression within said flask.
 3. A pressurecontainer as defined in claim 2, wherein said thermal fuse is made of afire meltable or combustible material.